Ikea plant hacks are one of my favorite ways to give your home more plants + personality without breaking the bank on expensive pots or built-from-scratch shelving. My favorite thing about IKEA furniture?
They’re already so minimalist that they’re easy to transform, so a plain old stool, basket, pegboard, cart, rail or cabinet can be molded to your liking with a little touch of DIY and creativity!
However, a great plant hack isn’t just about how you display the pot. It’s also about elevating your plant to the proper height for ample sunlight, allowing room for trailing vines, and creating a stable base for watering so you don’t risk root rot, awkward water stains, or a dying fern sulking in the corner.
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You’ll find all kinds of awesome ideas here, whether you’re a fellow plant parent working with limited square footage, looking to design your own window herb planter, curating a chic indoor planter setup, or you just crave inspo for your favorite greenery.
Think vertical gardens, hanging planters, and IKEA planter hacks utilizing everything from baskets, carts, shelves… you’ll feel inspired to give some everyday IKEA picks more intention and your plants will thank you for it!
1. Stack IKEA Stools Into a Tiered Plant Stand
A cheap IKEA step stool or tray style stand will work stacked to create the cutest little plant stand with barely any effort at all. The staggered shape allows each plant its own space to shine, which looks great if you have a mix of leafy houseplants, trailing vines, and smaller IKEA pots.
2. Turn a SKÅDIS Pegboard Into a Vertical Plant Wall
IKEA pegboards make an awesome vertical garden because you can rearrange shelves, hooks, hanging baskets, and small pots whenever your plants grow or your room gets refreshed. It’s a genius hack for a small space because it works on the wall instead of taking up precious floor room.
3. Create a Bathroom Plant Display With White IKEA Lack Shelves
If your bathroom gets decent sunlight floating Lack shelves lined with white planters is one of the easiest ways to make the whole room look and feel spa-ready. Keep the plant look streamlined by buying pots in simple designs then mixing and matching sizes. Add in a combination of upright plants and softer trailing varieties too for a relaxing collected vibe.
4. Hang Small IKEA Plant Pots on the Wall With Leather Straps
Wall-mounted IKEA plant pots are ideal for odd corners, skinny walls, or anywhere you want to inject some greenery without sacrificing more table. Just remember to choose plants that can handle drying out between waterings and always double-check your pot planter setup can drain so you don’t end up killing your plants.
5. Use IKEA Seagrass Baskets as Wall Planters
IKEA seagrass baskets are beautiful used as wall planters because they add texture, natural warmth, and lovely handmade details to any wall. They also look extra pretty with faux trailing plants or nursery pots tucked inside so you can get the vibe without worrying about leaks on your wall.
6. Style a IKEA SÖSDALA Memo Board as a Plant Lover’s Display
An IKEA grid or memo board like the SÖSDALA board will instantly look like a plant lover’s display once you hang some small pots, clip in plant prints, add mini shelves, and tuck in trailing plants. It’s such a simple IKEA hack that feels part décor, part useful storage, and we’re totally here for that.
7. Repurpose an IKEA Rug Into a Farmhouse Style Planter Liner
You can turn an IKEA rug into a long planter basket liner, which is great for herbs, faux flowers, or little nursery pots. It creates that farmhouse lover’s wire basket look we all dream about and works really well placed on a console table, kitchen shelf, or cottage-style fireplace.
8. Make a Hanging Planter With Cord and a Simple Pot
An inexpensive IKEA pot can look totally custom when you turn it into a DIY hanging planter and add twine, cord, or even a copper pipe detail. Paint the cord your favorite shade of pink or keep things neutral, then hang it up to use with a cactus, succulent, or non-trailing plant.
9. Add Ivy to a IKEA SÖSDALA Memo Board for an Easy Living Display
Fit trailing ivy or another climbing plant through a wall grid to soften the look instantly. It works well near desks or windows because you can fill in empty space without needing an actual planter or bulky shelving unit to feel more put-together.
10. Turn the IKEA MOPPE Mini Drawers Into a Succulent Garden
Mini IKEA drawer units are brilliant for turning into little succulent gardens. Just open the drawers at different heights and fill each with a succulent or small plant pot. It’s a fun way to style succulents cuttings, or air plants that don’t need much depth but line the drawers with tray material first if you’re using real succulents.
11. Stack IKEA Bowls Into a DIY Totem Planter
Stacking IKEA bowls into a custom totem planter is such a fun IKEA hack and gives boring bowls/art pots/planters something extra. Use acrylic paint in faded sunset colors, go bright with your favorite color, or keep things neutral with speckled paint. Let each bowl dry then seal before stacking with a trailing plant on top.
12. Make a Pretty Pegboard Plant Station With Fairy Lights
IKEA pegboards look so bright and clean against painted walls especially when you add small plant pots, propagation jars, or glass vases. Pair with a warm fairy light for an instant cozy plant station that looks styled not messy or overcrowded.
13. Use IKEA Seagrass Baskets as Hanging Planters
IKEA’s large seagrass baskets are perfect for making into hanging planters. The woven baskets add lots of texture but they don’t feel heavy or bulky on the wall. Simply place a plastic nursery pot inside the basket to protect the weave, then hang with jute rope or macrame cord at varying heights for a soft, natural look. This works especially well for hanging succulents, trailing plants, or artificial greenery.
14. Turn an IKEA Kallax Into a Modern Indoor Planter
Kallax and cube storage units from IKEA are brilliant for indoor plants because each compartment acts like its own planter shelf. Add hanging pots, install some warm grow lights, mix big and small pots, and try to keep trailing plants on the ends for maximum greenery without blocking the entire shelf.
15. Give Plain IKEA Plant Pots a Bright Striped Makeover
Apply colorful tissue paper to boring IKEA pots in cheerful stripes to make your plant display feel instantly more custom. All you need is some glue, tissue paper in various colors and patience to turn everyday pots into a fun outdoor cactus planter or kitchen windowsill.
16. Tile an IKEA BEKVAM Step Stool for a Statement Plant Stand
Upgrade your IKEA step stool to a lovely rustic-inspired plant stand by tiling it, staining, or using chalk paint to add more character. Great for displaying small plants or ferns on each step beside your sofa, console table, or armchair.
17. Turn Dragan Bamboo Boxes Into a Succulent Garden
IKEA bamboo boxes are perfect for small succulent gardens because you get that gorgeous natural woven texture, but everything is held securely inside. Line it with extra tray material first then add succulents or small plants in fun heights so it feels full and intentional.
18. Build an Outdoor Planter Wall With an IKEA ÄPPLARÖ Panel
Got room on your patio or balcony for an outdoor plants display? Turn an IKEA ÄPPLARÖ Panel into a pretty vertical garden with hanging plants, wall baskets, and trailing greenery. Add fairy lights too so it feels magical when the sun goes down.
19. Fill an IKEA RÅSKOG Cart With Succulents
An IKEA rolling cart makes the most perfect planter if you want to display succulents, fresh herbs, or small outdoor plants together. Everything rests on shelves so you can group lots of small pots together, then push the cart wherever you need more sun or storage.
20. Make a Colourful Window Herb Garden
IKEA tiered shelves or small trollies are great for creating a happy window herb garden too. Especially if you use brightly colored plastic pots to plant basil, rosemary, mint, thyme, and whatever else you love to cook with. You can easily water them together and snip herbs right while you cook.
21. Wrap Ribbon Around a FRIDFULL Planter
Turn simple IKEA Fridfull plant pot into a stylish planter by adding pretty ribbons. It adds a cute rustic detail, and the basket weave is great for cottage/core decor and rooms that need more softness.
22. Paint IKEA Plant Pots Ombre
You can make cheap IKEA pots feel luxe with just acrylic craft paints or spray paint in an ombre shade. Perfect for adding a pop of color to your room without being too overwhelming, especially if you leave the bottom half of the pot white.
23. Turn a Frame Into a Living Succulent Wall
Turn an IKEA photo frame or shadow box into a gorgeous living succulent planter. Add soil pockets, moss, and hangable succulents to create an easy DIY for a living wall that actually works. It’s more of an afternoon project than something you can knock together in five minutes, but you’ll love the finished result.
24. Create a Rolling Herb Garden Cart
If you want an easy way to store herbs in your kitchen consider filling an RASKOG IKEA cart with your favorites. Label each plant, keep your gardening shears in the bottom tray, and you’ll have a kitchen herb garden full of your favorite herbs that you actually use all the time.
25. Add DIY Legs to a Woven Basket Planter
Love woven basket planters but wish they matched your decor better? Add stylish DIY Legs to the base of any IKEA planter. It instantly gives the baskets more of a luxurious feel but keeps loads of that cozy natural feel too.
26. Paint an IKEA Basket In a Block Paint Style
Bring your planter to life and give it that custom to you feel by painting a bold stripe around the bottom. It’s one of those Ikea hacks thats so easy to do using only acrylic paints and yet effortlessly elevates the look and feel of your decor.
27. Turn an IKEA SKRUVBY Cabinet Into Indoor Greenhouse
Want a little greenhouse to display humidity-loving plants? IKEA SKRUVBY cabinets are great for indoor gardens as you can clip grow lights on the inside and store smaller pots inside.
28. Make Mini Wooden Stands For Cactus Planters
IKEA bowls screwed into wooden legs and stands become effortlessly stylish planters. It’s a fun way to add height and interest to your plants and what do you think of the white sand in the pots? I think it looks so fresh and different!
29. Use IKEA FINTORP Rails to Hang a Farmhouse Herb Garden
IKEA kitchen rails are perfect for displaying herbs in your kitchen especially if space is limited. Hang small pots alongside utensils, tea towels, and wooden spoons so it looks practical for your kitchen.
30. Style a Rattan Tray As A Planter Shelf
Mounted and styled vertically IKEA rattan-style wall panels are a beautiful soft backdrop for small indoor planters. Great for when you want a plant display that feels more cottage-core than industrial or modern.
31. Create an Easy Self Watering IKEA Plant Pot
This DIY self watering plant pot is so easy to make with only a few supplies. Graphic black and white stripe IKEA plant pots are perfect for keeping that leafy green pop front and center. Especially great if your style is modern but still works amazingly with boho bedrooms or traditional farmhouse decor.
32. Hang Metal Plant Pots From Rails Using The FINTORP System
Turn IKEA rails with S-hooks into a hanging planter display by filling small metal buckets with herbs or plants. Perfect for hanging over windowsills or porches too but make sure you can drain each pot properly so your plant roots don’t drown.
33. Make Easy Pot-Through Shelves From Wood
I love this hack from grillo designs… Simply cut holes in a simple wooden IKEA Frosta stool cut in half to make your own pot-through planter shelf. Space-saving, super neat, and ideal for all your favorite plants!
Before You Go...
IKEA plant hacks are a great way to elevate your plants, making them feel trendier, more functional, and even more personal. From an easy hanging planter to a mini herb cart to a sprawling vertical garden, these projects show you don’t need to spend a lot of money or have a ton of space to build a home you love filled with plants.